Lab Rat of Love
by LosingInTranslation
Summary: Archie goes to the only successful nerd in the Lab Rats for advice about his love life. N&Ms and JAR. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!  
**RATING:** T for Teen  
**SPOILERS:** None  
**PAIRING:** N&M's/JAR (Nick/Mandy & Judy/Archie)  
**SUMMARY:** Archie goes to the only successful nerd in the Lab Rats for advice about his love life.

**A/N:** Happy Birthday, Brandie! Your present? My first JAR Fic! With much love to the Guerilla!Beta for cheering me to the finish line on this story. I still have hopes of finishing all 3 chapters before Brandie's birthday, so keep your fingers crossed!

**REVIEWS:** Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

* * *

Looking out of the corner of her eye, Mandy watched as Archie made his fourth circuit past her door. She had no idea what he needed to talk about, but she was done waiting to find out.

She called out from behind the AFIS computer, "Did you need something, Arch?"

He sputtered for a bit and looked like he was about to come out of his skin. Before Archie could chicken out and run away, Mandy peeked out from behind her monitor and waved him into her lab. "Quit stalling and get in here. I have to go in thirty minutes and you don't have enough time for another pass to finish working up your nerve."

Archie walked into the print lab displaying equal parts dread and paranoia, immediately turning to close the door behind him. Mandy grinned in an attempt to put him at ease, but Archie still looked like he was only holding it together with the thinnest of threads. "Geez, Arch, what's got you so freaked out?"

"I-I-I'm not freaked." She watched as he tried, badly, to convince her he was fine. When he saw the look on her face, he slumped to show his defeat. "Okay, well, maybe I'm a little freaked." With the roll of her eyes, he finally came clean. "Fine… I'm totally freaked and I've got no idea what to do."

It was time for Mandy to be confused. She furrowed her brow and asked, "So, what can I do to help?"

Archie quickly grabbed the spare stool and pulled it up beside her. "Tell me how to make her fall for me?"

Mandy reared back in shock. "Whoa!" Shaking her head, she tried to figure just how far ahead Archie had just leapt in the conversation. "Who, why me and how the hell would I know?!"

Taking a deep breath, Archie hurriedly launched into his explanation. "Well, Hodges told Henry that you totally helped him with the whole Wendy thing and you know, getting out of his Mom's place. And you totally saved Henry with that new girl in property, plus you got him out of that mess with that chick in HR. Not to mention what you did for Leah before she married the lawyer dude. So, can you help me?"

The volume of words pouring out of Archie's mouth was dizzying, but Mandy worked to put it all together quickly enough to ask, "Um, well, so, who are you freaking out about?"

"Promise you won't laugh?" Archie's face filled with red and Mandy was almost afraid she wouldn't be able to help herself if he was that embarrassed.

"I mean, geez, Archie… It would depend on who it is." She could see that he truly was on the edge of completely losing it, so she cut him some slack. "Like, if you said you had the hots for Hodges…I don't think I could help myself."

His face showed the intensity of his mental state and Mandy immediately backed down. "This is serious, Mandy… No jokes."

She shook her head reluctantly and answered, "Okay, okay… I'm not good with those rules, but okay. Who is it?"

Before he could answer, a head poked its way into her lab and spoke, "Hey, Mandy. HR left a packet of forms for you to fill out before your leave. Just stop by the front desk and grab them on your way out. Beth knows where they are."

Mandy watched as Archie tried to blend into the equipment the moment Judy's pixyish voice interrupted their conversation. "Oh, okay. Thanks, Judy." She looked down at her watch, wondering if it was later than she thought. "Are you cutting out early?"

"Oh! Yeah. I'm trying that morning yoga class you recommended." Judy fired through her explanation in an excited rush. "We all moved our schedules up an hour, because Beth needs to be home for her son in the afternoon and Marlene's husband changed shifts at the Pike, so she wanted to be home earlier anyway."

"Um, yeah, okay." Mandy liked the woman, but it always took her an extra moment or two to catch up after one of her machine gun fire deliveries of information. "Well, I hope you like the class."

"Thanks!" And like a flash of light, she was gone.

Turning to find Archie wedging himself between the shelves in her lab, Mandy could only shake her head in total disbelief. "Okay, so I guess that answers that question."

Archie nervously stepped forward and asked, "What question?"

"Really? You and Judy?" She still couldn't believe it at all.

"What's wrong with that? And it's not **me** and Judy, because it's not like she ever even notices me." The slump of his shoulders and the pitiful look on his face had Mandy about to bust up laughing, but she knew Archie would be devastated, so she managed to control the impulse.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Arch. Seriously. And you know, she might notice you more if you didn't practice your _Ninja Vanish_ act whenever she walks in a room." Mandy started shutting down her computers as she talked to Archie.

"I can't help it. I just don't want to say anything stupid, and she makes me nervous." That part really shocked Mandy. Archie was nothing, if not the coolest and the smoothest of the Lab Rats. She could not fathom the notion that he was intimated by anyone, let alone Judy.

"We are talking about the same woman, right? Judy, the one who bakes cookies for every freakin' occasion? Judy, the girl who wear pink fuzzy cardigans to work in a crime lab? Judy, the receptionist who answers the phone with that insanely bubbly voice no matter what time of day or night it is, and has never even considered saying a cuss word when those jerks give her crap up front… THAT Judy?" Mandy wanted to be absolutely sure they were talking about the same woman.

"Yeah… The one who knows everyone and everything that goes on in this department. The girl who can stare down a three hundred-fifty pound felon and make him blink every time. The woman who scored more runs than any other on the lab's softball team for the last seven years running. And the one who gets that evil glint in her eye whenever they use her in some size comparison experiment where she gets to beat something." Archie visibly gulped as he rattled off the last one. "Yeah... THAT Judy."

Mandy shrugged and rolled her eyes at Archie's fear. "Whatever, Dude. She's still just that little woman who uses a step stool to sit on her chair behind the reception desk to me." When Archie shot her a dangerous look she acquiesced. "But I can see that you feel differently."

They were interrupted once more when Nick popped his head in through the door. "Hey, are you ready to go yet?" He suddenly noticed Archie in the room and nodded in his direction. "Hey, Arch. I dropped off some video from that convenience store shooting last night. It's in your box, when you get a chance."

Nervously, Archie said, "Yeah, Man. I'll get to it tonight, if that's okay."

Stepping in, Nick shrugged and nodded. "That's cool." He turned again to Mandy and pointed at his watch. "C'mon, Babe. We need to put a move on or we're gonna be late."

Smiling, she waved him out the door. "Go get the car and meet me at the door. I'll just be another minute."

Nick smiled back. "Roger that. See ya out front." He nodded again at Archie before heading out the door.

"Oh, Nick!" Mandy hollered before he was out of earshot. He poked his head back through the doorway and waited for her to continue. "Um, stop at the front desk and grab the maternity leave forms from Beth, okay?"

"Is my stuff in there, too?"

Lifting her shoulders to show her lack of knowledge, she said, "I guess you'll find out when you look inside. If not, I'll just ask Judy for it tonight."

"Gotcha." He looked down at his watch again. "Five minutes; no more. I don't want to be late."

"Okay, okay! Now get out of here!" She shooed him off with a smile that he quickly returned.

As Mandy slid down off of the stool behind her counter, Archie asked, "What are you guys gonna be late for?"

With her enlarged belly leading the way, Mandy finally found the floor and righted herself on her feet. "Oh, we're taking a tour of the hospital's birthing rooms this morning. There really isn't a set time, but as we get closer to the date, he's getting more and more anxious. Everything is about beating the clock right now, and the man is making me crazy."

Archie helped her into her jacket and chuckled. "Yeah, he's definitely got that nervous papa-to-be thing going on." As she tied the belt over the top of her belly, leaving the coat open around it, Archie laughed outright. "But it would be hard to forget what's going on with that thing in your face all the time."

She swatted at his arm as she turned around. "Don't you know you aren't supposed to make those comments around a pregnant chick?"

"And that's why I need your help." He looked absolutely desperate as he pleaded with her. "Please, Mandy. I don't want to screw this up, and you're the only one of us that's ever done this thing right."

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Mandy finally gave in. "Okay, but I need some time to think." She looked down at her watch and frowned. "And I've gotta run right now. Talk to me after next shift. Maybe I'll have some ideas by then, okay?"

"Anything." He called to her as she waddled down the hall. "And breakfast is on me!"

"Remember you said that when you get the check!"


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!  
**RATING:** T for Teen  
**SPOILERS:** None  
**PAIRING:** N&M's/JAR (Nick/Mandy & Judy/Archie)  
**SUMMARY:** Archie goes to the only successful nerd in the Lab Rats for advice about his love life.

**A/N:** Happy Birthday, Brandie! Your present? My first JAR Fic! With much love to the Guerilla!Beta for cheering me to the finish line on this story. I still have hopes of finishing all 3 chapters before Brandie's birthday, so keep your fingers crossed! Chapter 2 is away! And I am going to bust my butt to finish the last one now. Wish me luck!

**REVIEWS:** Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

* * *

It was one of those nightmare shifts. It was the kind of shift where the tension ran high, and the volume of work even higher. As soon as Archie had finished processing Nick's convenience store footage, Catherine brought in a surveillance video file from the mall for a child abduction case. He hated those cases more than any other.

The girl was found quickly, but they still had to wait to hear about her condition from the hospital. Between some evidence collected at the scene, and Archie ID'ing the car which took her out of the mall parking garage, they were able to find the girl before the worst happened. But there were still injuries. The whole lab walked around on pins and needles until that call came in from Desert Palm.

When Judy's voice came over the PA, Archie felt the entire staff heave a sigh of relief. The girl was pretty banged up after bouncing around in the trunk of the car, but other than that she was fine. The sound of Judy's voice and looking down at his watch reminded him about something he had to do after shift.

As the dread began to fill his soul, Mandy knocked on his door. "I am so glad that was resolved. Nick is always a total wreck when these cases end badly."

Archie tried to stall by asking, "And what about you?"

Mandy shrugged shyly and answered, "Me? I go hug my nieces real tight and then cry for an hour. That way I get it out of my system and I don't want to strangle Nick when he spends the next week stomping around the house in a funk."

"That bad?" Archie was a little surprised by that information. "He just always seems to handle everything with so much cool, and I guess I didn't think it got to him that bad."

"He's not a robot, Arch. He just works really hard to deal with his stuff in private." Her explanation made him regret ever bringing it up.

"Hey, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to-… Well, you know, I didn't-"

"Don't sweat it." Mandy gave him a little smile to show her sincerity. "Seriously… I just get a little protective right now. Must be the hormones." The roll of her eyes finally gave him leave to breathe again.

"Cool… Thanks. I'd hate to think I ticked you off when you're like my only hope." He keyed in the security lock on his computer systems and grabbed his jacket as he asked, "Are you ready to bail?"

"Absolutely! I've been craving those wildberry muffin tops over at that hippie diner all night." Mandy's eyes lit up and it made him laugh.

"Well, then I better not delay any longer. I wouldn't want to be responsible for denying the little Momma." He ushered her out the door, as only a true gentleman would and asked, "My car or yours?"

"Yours… Nick's gonna meet us there after he finishes his paperwork." Mandy happily took the arm he offered her and together they walked out to his car.

It was a quick drive to the eclectic diner some of the lab rats had been frequenting for more than a year. The colors were straight out of a sixties variety show, and so were the owners. But the food was amazing, and tons better than anything Frank's ever had to offer. It also helped that the place served to meet the needs of the finicky Hodges, the allergy disaster Henry, and the socially conscious Wendy, all at the same time.

As soon as they hit the door, Candace, one of the owners, immediately began to dote on Mandy. Ever since she started to show, the owners of The Breakfast Garden had taken to fussing over her when they came in to eat.

"Oh, I am so glad you came in today! I found the cutest little tub set at the fair trade market in Pahrump last weekend and I just couldn't resist getting it." The excited woman pointed at their favorite table in the corner and gestured for them to sit down. "Go sit, I've got it in the back office."

Archie pulled out the chair for Mandy and leaned down to whisper. "Isn't that like the fourth or fifth baby gift she's gotten you?"

"I know, but Nick says they don't have any kids, and I'd feel like an ass telling them no."

After a healthy helping of cooing over the duck inspired tub set, and a call from Nick telling them to start without him, Archie and Mandy got their orders and started in on breakfast. It was nice to be away from the grit of their everyday lives, and just enjoy a pleasant meal with a friend. There were few things in his life that made as much sense as his friendships with the other lab rats.

When they both neared the end of the food and small talk, Archie braced himself for the big idea. Mandy always had a plan, and he knew this was liable to be a real doozy. As she took in a deep breath, he knew the wait was over.

"Okay, so Nick and I think the only way to-"

"Wait, wait… Nick knows about this?" Archie was mortified by the implication.

Rolling her eyes, Mandy mocked him, "Well, duh! We are married, ya know." She waited for him to catch up before she told him the real truth. "Besides, Nick is very insistent that he knows about all of my evil plotting."

Sneaking up behind them, Nick dropped his hands on Mandy's shoulders and said, "It helps me to stay out of the line of fire if I know what's comin' down the pipe." He leaned down and kissed Mandy's cheek before pulling up another chair to the table. "So, did you tell him about the dinner with Judy tomorrow, yet?"

"Tomorrow?!" Archie's voice went up a good three octaves and he could only hope the shriek was not entirely too much like a little girl, but the fear simply reached out and grabbed him by the short hairs.

"And that would be a no…" He turned to Mandy and raised his eyebrow as he looked down at her plate. "Just how many of those muffin tops have you eaten, anyway?"

"Don't start with me, Burrito Boy." Mandy glared at him for a split second before turning to Archie. "It's gonna be fine. You'll both be over for a casual dinner, and there won't be any pressure at all. It's just a few coworkers having some food and talking. And she knows you're coming, so no pulling another camouflage move to blend in with the draperies, or something."

Archie suddenly felt his breakfast working its way back to the surface, and it had nothing at all to do with the extra chiles in his omelet.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!  
**RATING:** T for Teen  
**SPOILERS:** None  
**PAIRING:** N&M's/JAR (Nick/Mandy & Judy/Archie)  
**SUMMARY:** Archie goes to the only successful nerd in the Lab Rats for advice about his love life.

**A/N:** Happy Birthday, Brandie! Your present? My first JAR Fic! With much love to the Guerilla!Beta for cheering me to the finish line on this story. Dangit! Not only did not finish in time, it ended up being 4 chapters (the fourth one I'm not done with yet). But I should be able to knock the rest of the 4th chapter tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

**REVIEWS:** Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

* * *

Getting up early, Mandy spent a big part of the afternoon making sure everything was ready for their big dinner. It wasn't often someone actually wanted Mandy to meddle, plot and scheme, so she was not about to waste the opportunity. By the time Nick came stumbling out into the kitchen, the living room looked like it was out of a magazine, the table was set with an Asian theme, and she had everything chopped and ready to toss into the wok for her famous stir fry.

Clearing the sleep from his eyes, he looked around and chuckled. "I'm gonna chalk all this up to nesting and move on… Good mornin', darlin'." He leaned in to kiss Mandy's cheek and reached past her to grab the coffee pot.

"Well, hello to you, Sleepy Head. Feel better?" Mandy continued to whip the batter in the bowl in front of her as she greeted him.

"I do, thank you. And as soon as I finish this cup of coffee, I'll run the vacuum in the living room." Putting the coffee pot back he kissed her cheek again. "Thank you for not doing it while I was asleep."

Smiling, Mandy shook her head as she continued to whip. "Yeah, well, someone turns into a seriously grumpy bear if he doesn't get his standard eight. And I didn't want you to scare poor Judy off at dinner."

Nick nodded, "Right, tonight is the big nerd hookup, huh?"

"Be nice… Remember, you married one of those nerds." She poured the batter into the pan as she chastised him.

Setting the coffee mug on the counter, he stepped behind her, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his body. "You, my dear, have never been a nerd." She relaxed into his embrace as the soft words were spoken into her ear. "A little geeky, maybe, but never a nerd."

Nick huffed out a heavy breath as Mandy's elbow made contact with his mid-section. "You're gonna pay for that one, Cowboy."

Rubbing his middle as he leaned back against the island, Nick winced, "I think I already am."

"Get your country butt in gear so you can help, and I might forget what you just said." She swiftly transferred the pan into the oven and closed the door as she spoke.

"Yes, Ma'am."

The next thing Mandy heard was the vacuum cleaner in the living room. In no time at all, they were ready for their guests to arrive.

After he got dressed, she left Nick as the welcoming committee, and Mandy went to the bedroom to get ready. As she changed her clothes and freshened up, Mandy ran through her mind everything on her list to be sure nothing had been missed.

When she finally emerged from the bedroom, ready to work her own brand of evil, she heard a very familiar sound. The Xbox was going full blast, which led her to believe that Archie had gotten there first, and challenged Nick to a game of Halo before dinner.

"Guys! I thought we were going to behave like grownups tonight?" Mandy began hollering from the hallway as she walked toward the living room. "Do you really think death and destruction in full auto madness is the way to make Judy feel comforta-" She stopped cold as she turned the corner and found Judy seated on the couch beside Nick, plowing through another fire team. "Judy?"

"Hey, Mandy…" Judy's eyes never left the screen as she tried to speak with her hostess. "Gimme a sec, we just need to clear this zone and-**Nick, fire right!"**

"Wooo Hooo! Great catch! Those guys always nail me when we hit-**Ten o'clock bogey!**" Nick's body dodged with his character in the game, and the two managed to escape another assault.

Shaking her head as the doorbell rang, Mandy couldn't believe this turn of events. "No, no… Don't get up. I'll get the door."

"Thanks, Babe."

Mandy opened the door on Archie, another controller in one hand and a big vase of flowers in the other. "Hey, Mandy. I didn't know what you were making, so I thought the flowers would be nicer than wine."

Before she could answer him, the sounds of catastrophic failure came from the game console and she lost his attention. "Dude! You started without me?!"

She took the vase being thrust into her arms as Archie slipped in and headed straight for the couch. "I give up." Mandy left the vase on the entry table and joined them in the living room. "Where's my controller?"

It took them just over an hour, but they finally managed to emerge victorious from the virtual world of the Halo universe, after trouncing the red team in a raucous game of King of the Hill. It was hard to believe that four highly educated professional adults took such great pleasure in laying waste to a team of teenagers over the Xbox Live network. But as they stood in the kitchen getting dinner ready, their celebrations continued.

"Oh man! When you found those plasma grenades and took out their lead, I was floored. Pure genius!" Archie flipped the tongs through the salad as he recalled the brilliant strategy.

"Well, I had to distract him so Nick could get that little bugger with the rocket launcher. If I got blasted with that thing one more time, I was gonna scream!" Judy filled Nick's glass with more wine while she explained her motivations.

"Yeah, well, if Mandy hadn't come in with that SMG, I'd have been pinned against that box for another round of play. I just couldn't get past that kid on the machine gun turret." Nick shook his head as he added the vegetables to the meat in the wok.

"You were doing quite the prairie dog impersonation there, Babe." Mandy kissed his cheek as he grimaced from her jibe. "But you make a very cute prairie dog."

Everyone laughed as Nick was revealed to be the weak link in their fire team. Archie decided to take pity on his friend and raised his glass in the air. "To the best over the hill and yet still wet behind the ears fire team in the history of Halo 3 Multiplayer…" He waited for the others to raise their glasses, and then said, "May we never grow up so much we can't enjoy a mindless game of death and destruction!"

"Here, here!" They all drank to his toast and laughed.

Eventually the food was done and they migrated to the dining room table. Their conversations seemed friendly, and Mandy was surprised that Archie appeared to have gotten over his nervousness around the object of his affections.

"So anyway, this guy keeps going on and on about how he knows all about this old casino and how he was some kind of expert about Vegas history and all that jazz. And Greg…" Archie shook his head with his laughter. "Greg just sits there nodding his head like this guy is the king of Vegas or something, the whole time knowing he's completely full of crap, but playing along, you know."

"Oh yeah, I've seen him in action before. And the stories Wendy tells always leave me laughing for days." Mandy noticed the water was getting low and grabbed for the pitcher.

Judy saw her and reached for the pitcher ahead of her. "Let me get that. You've already done so much tonight. It's the least I can do."

Mandy leaned back in her chair and smiled. "You don't have to do that, but thank you. There's a twist out spout thingie on the fridge door for filling the pitcher."

She called back from the kitchen, "Oh! I was going to get one of those for my condo, but I never have anyone over, so I figured there was no point."

Mandy took the absence of their guest to quietly question Archie. "So, what do you think?"

Painfully swallowing back the anxiety, Archie gasped, "Other than feeling like I'm going to blow chunks every time she looks at me…just great."

Laughing, Nick shook his head. "Then brother, you're playing it off perfectly. I've seen nothin' but smooth and cool from you all night."

Her entrance was silent, so her voice made Archie's spine straighten. "What's that?'

Mandy quickly covered for him. "I was just telling Archie that this is most fun we've had in a long time. Nothing but fun, all night."

"Oh yeah, me too, totally. This has been such a blast." Judy topped off everyone's water glass as she worked her way around the table.

"Hey, Judy… You do that like a pro. Do you have secret life we don't about?" Nick took his glass back from Judy as he joked.

"Aww, no big secret here. I just waited tables to help pay for college. And four years at the Seven Hills Country Club never really leaves you." Judy laughed off Nick's ribbing with her tale.

"That's so funny!" Mandy gestured at Archie and said, "Arch, didn't you work at a country club when you were in college, too?"

Archie nodded and smirked. "Yeah, but I only worked summers there…as a lifeguard."

The table erupted into oh's and ah's about his revelation. Judy chuffed and said, "You were one of _those_ people."

Archie's face betrayed his disgust. "Oh no… I was _not_ one of those people. No, my folks worked there, too. But I couldn't get any hours in the video lab in the summer. And besides, the country club was closer to the beach."

"It figures," Judy said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey… Whaddya mean by that?" Archie feigned hurt at her accusation.

Judy immediately shrugged off his denial. "Oh please! Only guy I know who schedules his vacations around the tide calendar."

"Busted!" Mandy exclaimed. "She's totally got your number, Dude."

As they all laughed at Archie's bluster, Mandy was unable to stop the yawn that erupted and halted the entire conversation. "Oh man, I'm sorry."

Both of their guests looked at the time; Judy on her watch, and Archie on his PDA. "Oh, wow." Archie shook his head with his surprise. "I didn't realize it was getting so late. We're totally using up your night off."

"Gosh, I am so sorry." Judy surveyed the damages and found a table filled with empty dishes and glasses. "Why don't I help you clean up this mess while I wait for my cab?"

"Yeah, I can help cle-"

Nick held up his hands to stop both of them from going on. "Nope… KP detail is mine tonight. That was the deal I made for getting to sleep in." He turned to Archie and asked, "But if you really want to do something to help, Arch… Could you give Judy a lift home?"

Archie's spine stiffened once more, and Judy tried to let him off the hook. "I can just call a cab, Nick. I don't need anyone to-"

"I'd be glad to," Archie quickly blurted it out. He blushed at his awkwardness and then recovered his dignity. "Seriously, I'm happy to give you a lift. Just let me help Nick clear the table and I'll take you home."

"Archie, I'm cool, you're totally off the hook, Man." Nick grabbed up a bunch of plates and walked back to the kitchen.

Taking up the wine glasses, Archie followed right behind him. "Cool is not leaving a brother hanging."

Mandy and Judy laughed at the boys as they walked into the kitchen arguing. Judy stacked dishes around her and asked, "Do they ever grow out of that?"

"God, I hope not." Mandy's answer only made them laugh louder.

When the boys came back into the dining room the girls were still laughing.

Nick quickly shooed them out of the room. "Why don't you two go relax in the living room so we can get this done?"

"Because it might require an act of God to get me out of this chair?" Mandy looked up at Nick as she quipped.

He laughed and walked over to her chair, leaning down to help her up. "How about an act of marriage?"

Mandy shrugged and said, "Probably take a lot less time." He carefully lifted Mandy to her feet. "And much easier to pay back." Once sure-footed, Mandy turned and gave Nick a quick peck on his cheek. "Consider that a down-payment."

The girls walked into the living room giggling to themselves.

Once Judy assisted Mandy in sitting down, she was a taken a little aback by her next words. "So, what do you think?"

Judy tried to play innocent with her response, "Think about what?"

"Judy Tremont, don't you even dare." Mandy gave her one of those patented glares. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Blushing, Judy checked to be sure they were alone before she finally said, "I don't know… It's been fun and all, but I just don't know."

Mandy paused as she tried to formulate a response. "Well, what would it take for you to know? What are you looking for?"

With a wince, Judy admitted, "I guess I'm looking for what you've got. To know there's someone else who's always gonna be there, and who thinks of you as an equal. That's not too much, is it?"

Smiling, Mandy knew exactly what she was feeling. "It's not too much. Not at all. Just don't look too hard for it that you miss it when it's standing right in front of you."

Judy didn't have a chance to respond before Archie came walking through the living room. "Nick's got everything under control in there, let me just grab my jacket and we can bail."

Judy stood up and looked around for her things. But Archie called from behind the closet door, "This is your lavender cardigan, right?" Shocked by the question, Judy wasn't able to answer before he asked another, "And yours is the Coach purse?"

"Um, yeah, those are mine, but I can-"

Archie suddenly appeared with the items in hand, his own jacket thrown over his arm. "I thought that was yours, because Mandy always does those shoulder bags."

"Geez, Arch…you sure know a lot about purses," Mandy teased.

"My ex-girlfriend worked at that purse boutique in the Forum Shops. It just kind of rubbed off." Archie shot her a look that told her to knock it off.

Walking forward to retrieve her sweater from Archie, Judy asked, "Now, if this is any trouble, I can still call a cab. I don't want you going out of your wa-"

As she tried to reach for the sweater, Archie held it out for her to slip on, which she did as he explained. "No trouble at all. Besides, trying to get a cab to come this far off the strip on a Friday night would take forever."

"I just don't want you going to any trou-"

"Seriously…" He slipped the sweater up over her shoulders and then handed her the purse. "I don't mind at all. I figure you can kill the time between here and there telling me how you figured out that Easter Egg in the game."

Archie turned to thank Mandy before leaving. "Give my best to the redneck, and thanks for having me over. The food was awesome and the company, as always, was the best."

"Um, me, too. Tell Nick thank you for breaking out the 360 tonight. That was so much fun. I should have my car back tomorrow, so please holler if you need anything, okay?" Judy leaned down and hugged Mandy as she readied for her departure.

"Will do, and thank you both for coming over. It was fun tonight, and we'll have to try this again, real soon." Mandy waved to them both as they quickly skirted out the door.

By the time Nick made his way out of the kitchen, they were gone. Wiping his hands off on a towel he remarked, "Were we just that good, or were they just that bored?"

Staring at the door, Mandy could only say, "I'm not sure yet… But either way, we'll probably know by tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!  
**RATING:** T for Teen  
**SPOILERS:** None  
**PAIRING:** N&M's/JAR (Nick/Mandy & Judy/Archie)  
**SUMMARY:** Archie goes to the only successful nerd in the Lab Rats for advice about his love life.

**A/N:** Happy Birthday, Brandie! Your present? My first JAR Fic! With much love to the Guerilla!Beta for cheering me to the finish line on this story. I didn't quite get this one done in time for the big birthday, but I managed to come close. Thankfully the person it was written for is patient and forgiving. Happy Birthday, and may you have many more to come.

**REVIEWS:** Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

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It had taken exactly twenty two minutes to get from Nick and Mandy's to her condo building. It was the longest twenty two minutes of her entire life.

The whole ride over, even while she recounted to Archie exactly how she had quite literally stumbled upon the hidden Easter Egg, she kept hearing Mandy's words in her head. _"Just don't look too hard for it that you miss it when it's standing right in front of you."_

Archie had always been sweet in that _she's the one that handles all the calls and the extra paperwork, so don't tick her off_ kind of ways. But she never thought it went beyond that in any way. She was beginning to think that needed to change.

"So, how often do you login to play, anyway?" Archie kept trying to keep the conversation going.

"Um, maybe once or twice a week. I don't get to spend as much time goofing off as I'd like, right now."

He quickly jumped on that opening. "Oh yeah? How come?"

Almost embarrassed to admit it, Judy said, "I'm ah, studying for the GRE."

"Very cool. I never had the drive to do grad school. I've taken some continuing ed courses, mostly in document analysis, but to really sit down and make myself get a graduate degree? I just don't think I have it in me, you know?" He seemed resigned to his place in life as he continued to pay attention to the road.

"Um, turn right at the next light." She gave him the direction and then explained her situation. "Well, if I want to do anything other than reception, I've gotta have a higher degree. So, I'll just have to see if I can pull this off. I have a horrible suspicion that I'm just receptionist material."

"No way… Well, I mean, if that's what you want, then it's fine. But I think you've got way more going on than only that." Archie smiled at her a little as he made the turn into her complex.

"Yeah? You really think so?" She chanced a small smile in the face of his optimism.

"Totally!" As he pulled into the parking lot, he looked to her for instruction.

"Last building on the left."

"So, what happened to your car?" Archie asked as he carefully made his way through the parking lot.

"My brother-in-law happened." Judy was still irritated with the circumstances surrounding her poor car.

"That sounds like a good one."

"Boy, is it ever." Judy was shaking her head as Archie pulled into the empty guest parking spot and then waited for her to tell the story. "Now?"

"Yeah, I don't have anywhere to be, unless you've got somethi-"

"No, I'm not going anywhere… Not without my car, especially." She looked down at the purse in her lap as she tried to decide what to do next. She settled on the easiest solution, and stalled the decision by telling him the story. "Well, Randy, my brother-in-law, thought he was being funny, making cracks about my toy car…" Seeing the confusion on Archie's face, she elaborated, "I drive a Smart Car Passion Coupe."

"Oh, okay." Archie nodded his understanding and signaled her to go on. "Gotcha."

"Anyway, he tried saying it was like a big bubble that would pop with the slightest touch. Well, he has the subtlety of a Power Ranger, and with his humongous titanium wedding band he thumped on it and knocked out one of my windows." She turned in her seat to face him fully when she asked, "Do you know how hard it is to get a Smart Car serviced regularly, let alone a replacement part for a brand new one?"

Archie chuckled, "I bet it's worse than this Malibu Hybrid."

"It can take two weeks to schedule an oil change! So, I paid the extra to have it rushed, and it still took two weeks before they had the part and someone could install it." Judy was obviously disgusted with the whole situation as she shook her head. "The only thing saving me is that Henry lives in the same complex and he's been getting me to and from work."

Nodding, Judy watched as Archie squirmed in his seat. "Yeah, that Henry's a good guy, all right."

She decided to play a hunch when she said, "Yeah, and thankfully he's not one of those guys who would try to take advantage of the situation. Of course, it probably helps that he's been dating Janeane in accounting."

"He is?" When Archie instantly perked up, Judy knew exactly what she was going to do.

"Oh yeah. For a couple weeks now." Judy smirked at the smile spreading over Archie's face. "Too bad it took him two months to work up the nerve to ask her out after she smiled at him."

As Archie nodded in agreement, his hands tightened their grip on the steering wheel. She could tell he had something else on his mind, but then again, so did she.

When the silence between them stretched out too long, Judy decided it was time. "You wouldn't do that, would you, Archie?"

He turned to her in a near panic and asked, "Do what?"

Her girlish smile took over as she said, "Make me wait two months before asking me out?"

Archie's eyes grew to twice their normal size with her question. But thankfully he recovered very quickly. He clicked his jaw to relieve some of the tension and tilted his head to the side as he said, "Two months is way too long. Last I checked…the standard was five days."

Judy immediately caught on to his joke and sent it back to him. "Is that so? Well…you know, a lot could happen in five days."

Archie turned in his seat and rested his arm over the back of the seat. "Yeah, it could…" He ran the back of his finger down her arm. "And it will…if you don't mind it happening with me."

That tiny bit of contact was almost magnetic, and Judy felt drawn to Archie. Before she understood what was happening, they were leaning in to each other, their breaths mingling in the same place. Trying to break the spell, she whispered, "Is that an offer or a suggestion?"

With a nervous smirk he uttered, "It's a promise." Archie's left hand slipped up to cup Judy's cheek as their lips met softly in the middle. It was sweet and it was tender and it was filled with all of that promise.

As their lips finally parted, they held their foreheads together and giggled. Judy was the first to speak. "So, how long do we make Mandy suffer before we let her know the scheme worked?"


End file.
